Family and friends of six former Guilford Athletes gathered eagerly to watch their induction into the school’s hall of fame.
The inductees included Jennifer Friend-Kerr, Steven L. Harwell, Calvin Hunter, Walter “Buddy” Smith, Jay Terrell, and Tony Womack.
“There is a committee of former coaches who basically make the selections after the nominations have been made,” said Athletic Director Marion Kirby.
As the ceremony began, Kirby welcomed everyone to the event. He then recognized all of the previous inductees who were in attendance that day. President Kent Chabotar then made some opening remarks and turned the stage back over to Kirby who conducted the presentation of the inductees.
Each inductee was recognized with a brief slide show of their accomplishments followed by a plaque and medal presentation. The inductees then said a few words of their own.
The first member inducted was Jennifer Friend-Kerr, a member of the tennis team under Coach Gayle Currie and 1987 graduate. Friend-Kerr began by thanking her family, friends and former coach. She then told of how she came to be a Guilford tennis player.
“I used to have to sit on the light box outside the tennis courts and watch my dad and older brother play,” Friend-Kerr said. “One day I decided I didn’t want to watch anymore, I wanted to play.”
Friend-Kerr went on to speak of her great experience at Guilford.
“If I remember anything about Guilford it would be how everyone cared,” she said. “People would stop me as I walked down the pathway and ask, ‘Hey Jen, how was your tennis match?’ This is a close knit campus and the people really care.”
Steven L. Harwell was an All-American golfer who won three college tournaments and had All-American honors as a senior after he placed ninth at the NAIA championships.
“On graduation day, I had to make a choice: walk across the stage to get my diploma, or walk the fairways at what was probably the best collegiate tournament at that time,” said Harwell, speaking of his time at Guilford.
Calvin Hunter won the ODAC Football Player of the Year Award, Guilford’s 1991 English Athletic Leadership Award, and graduated with 13 school records, three of which still stand today.
He went on to get more education when he left Guilford. Hunter earned his master’s degree in sports management from Georgia Southern University in 1994 and a doctorate in sport management from the U.S. Sports Academy in 2005.
Others went on to play professional sports, like Tony Womack, who just finished his 16th season of professional baseball. He played in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league system and in 1997, became the team’s starting second baseman. That same year, Womack led the National League in stolen bases and was selected to play in the All-Star game. Womack, who was unable to attend the ceremony, has since been a member of five different major league baseball teams and has played in five of the past eight postseasons.
While at Guilford, Womack hit .337 and had 37 stolen bases. He also ranked among the national kickoff return leaders in the one season he played on Guilford’s football team. Womack also won the Best Undergraduate Male Athlete Award and the English Athletic Leadership Award.
Other inductees included Walter “Buddy” Smith who played in the 1969 North Carolina Shriners All-Star Game. He was NAIA All-District and received All-Carolinas Conference recognition in 1966.
Jay Terrell was a four-year baseball letter who won all-state, all-district, and All-Carolinas Conference honors as a senior in 1972.
“When they called and told me I was being inducted into the Hall of Fame all I thought was, ‘they must have looked at some stats that I wasn’t aware of,” said Terrell modestly.
The ceremony took place on Nov. 4 in Dana Auditorium. As the ceremony concluded the inductees and their families took pictures and were then served lunch in the dining hall.